Evangelism threatened by counter-extremism measures 

Government policies to tackle extremism may make it harder for evangelical Christians to share their faith - that's the view of four-fifths of respondents to the latest Evangelical Alliance survey into British values. 

The research found that evangelicals are broadly supportive of the government’s plans to define and promote British values (71 per cent), and although they consider it a reasonable response to extremism (57 per cent), there is widespread concern about its unintended consequences.

Two thirds of respondents to the Alliance’s survey of more than 1,700 evangelicals felt that the current attempt to define values was a reflection of the country’s identity crisis and three quarters agreed that freedom of speech needs greater protection.

The Evangelical Alliance has strongly advocated for freedom of religious belief and freedom of speech over many years, which includes standing alongside other faith groups and secular campaigners to defend the right to say things that others may not agree with. 

Home Secretary Theresa May has faced criticism that her proposals threaten freedom of speech.

Dr Dave Landrum, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance, commented: 'Our fundamental freedoms are being threatened by the government over-reacting to security threats to those very freedoms. We may be in danger of destroying the foundations while trying to protect the house we have built on them.'

According to evangelicals, the Christian faith has played a key role in providing values to British society throughout its history, but this legacy is swiftly eroding. The survey showed that the vast majority of respondents (93 per cent) agreed Christianity had strongly shaped historic British values, but less than a third (31 per cent) felt they still shaped values today. Fewer than one in five (18 per cent) agreed that Britain is a Christian country.

Dr Landrum went on to say: 'Many people value the legacy that our country is built on, yet it seems that today we’re trying to build our social values on nothing but fresh air and good intentions. We value Christianity when it suits us, and we dispense with it when it’s inconvenient.

'But it’s the central truths of Christianity that led to the very freedoms we now rely on. If we want to restore values to the heart of British society we need to remember where they came from. If we want to continue to enjoy the fruits of our freedoms, we need to acknowledge the roots.'

The research into British values is published in the latest issue of the Evangelical Alliance’s idea magazine.